Iloilo Travelogue#6: Tigbauan Church and Plaza

One of the first interesting town that you'll pass by coming from Iloilo city is Tigbauan. I have learned that this is where the American forces together with the Philippines Commonwealth troops landed to liberate the Island of Panay from the Japanese during WWII. And, to the allied forces' surprise, they arrived in an already been freed town. The Japanese invaders were already driven out by the brave Ilonggo locals. ^_^

Tigbauan Church, Iloilo City

Although a bit worn out and less smaller compared to the plaza of Guimbal, it still serves a place to get away from the busy highway that is just a stone away. You can see that there are couples, students or just plain old manangs and manongs (old lady and old men) sitting around chatting and having fun while watching teenagers play "sipa" (a traditional sport in the Philippines which literally means "kick"). There are the occasional small kids that opens up the zippers of your backpack while you're busy taking pictures (good thing my husband caught the little guy who immediately ran away to join a group of other small kids playing nearby). We were not sure if he was a pickpocket or just curious but for those who would want to visit this place, just be aware of those cute and "handy" kids. ^_^

There is another Rizal monument here but the there are also two head stones of 2nd Lt. Jose Tanales and Phil. Scout Lino Flores whose effort helped us overthrow the Japanese forces in the Philippines.

Rizal Monument, Tigbauan, Iloilo

The faded white paint on the plaza's gates and surroundings like the gazebo made the place obviously outdated and unclean but the big throw off is the garbage around  =(.  The good news though is that we saw a banner that says there is a plan set to rehabilitate this town treasure and improve it. God bless the town's officials. I hope I could visit Tigbauan again (maybe to check out their beaches and other historical sites) and I hope that by then, I would see what they did to improve the plaza. ^_^

Tigbauan, Iloilo City

How to get there:

From South Terminal, ride a jeepney to Miag-ao or San Joaquin, the first town that you'll pass by is Tigbauan, just tell the jeepney driver to drop you off the plaza. The church is walking distance from there.